World Hero
by Blue-on-the-run
Summary: "Everyone thinks they know who I am... But they only know what I'm called. To be honest, sometimes even I have to stop and ask myself what I'm doing here." A short oneshot looking into some of Sonic's deeper thoughts while he's out running.


I never look back. Ever. What's the point of thinking back on the past, anyway? Memories can be good, yeah, but why sit back and think on them when you can recreate that good feeling everyday by making new ones? Regrets have always been pointless to me. Everyone makes mistakes, right? So why should anyone continually feel guilty for something they did wrong ages ago? Regrets are a literal drag... They only slow you down- which is why I don't have any. I want to go as fast as I possibly can. Can't do that if you're still wearing those weights from old mistakes, can you? Does that make me sound like some sort of creepy guru..? Heh, funny.

A lot of people might call me carefree, but I really think everyone should drop their cares as much as I do. Of course, the world probably wouldn't be as interesting if everyone thought the way I did. Sometimes I really wish others could feel as free as I do when I run. I wish they knew what it was like not to have a care in the world, to truly be free. No worries, no fear... just pure, endless speed. That feeling is amazing. It's what I run for. It's why I'm running now. ...I always think too much while I run.

The sun looks pretty amazing when it sets. It moves across the sky so fast, but so smoothly at the same time, sometimes people don't even seem to notice it. But I always do, if only subconsciously. It reminds me of myself when I'm running... Very fast, but nice and smooth. Most seem to think of running as the pounding of your feet against the ground; fast, but also hard. It's nothing like that for me. It's more like... flying. It's almost as though I never touch the ground at all. That's not my feet ripping the grass out from the land, that's the wind I leave behind.

When I watch the sun go down I always feel something inside myself stir. It's that same feeling I get when the wind blows past me... The urge to run faster. It's the temptation to race the sun- to beat it there, beyond the horizon. I've been told that something like that is impossible, but I don't think it is. Anything is possible for me, so long as I believe it is. If I dismissed things as "impossible" that easily then I wouldn't be the world hero.

World hero... Funny thing, actually, I never really thought of myself as a hero. The admiration and worship are great and all, but there are times that I really wish that nobody knew me. But then again...

Nobody knows me. Not who I really am. When they hear my name, the first thing that comes to their minds is "hero of the world." What is a hero anyway? A selfless person? Someone who does what everyone believes to be the right thing to do, and is always a good role model? That isn't me. I'm not a saint come to rescue the planet and be the hero that everyone secretly longs for. I would give up all the hero worship and fame to be... free. Truly free.

_I don't want to be the hero._

I want to be who I am. I don't want to be stuck in a mold that the world has created for me. Even my own friends have a mold for me that they've put together over time. My friends are the greatest. I'd do anything to protect them... Maybe that's why I'm still here. That's why I haven't raced the sun beyond the horizon. It's why I put up with all of the pressure, and all of the judgment.

I don't do what I do to be a hero. I do it because I know it's right. Every action that I take is my own decision- Not some unspoken code that others have written for every hero that's ever saved the world. I do what I want, and I do it my way.

If I could press a button and pause the universe for a little while, I would. And I know just what I'd do during that time... I'd run. I'd run and never look back. I don't want anyone to miss me, though it's nice to know that I'm wanted. But I don't want to put anyone through that... The sudden disappearance of their hero. I'm already in over my head. I couldn't leave if I tried. My friends keep me here, that's why I can never be truly free. In a way, I guess you could say they're a burden I have to bear. But it's a small price to pay for their friendship. Without them, I probably would run beyond the horizon, I might not even come back. I could run forever and ever, without anything holding me back.

But then, what would be the point of running? I run to get away from being the hero- if only temporarily. It's my escape. But why would I run if I'm only running for myself? It's strange, really. I don't expect you to understand. Without my friends... I'm not me.

Looking up at the sun one last time makes me realize something... The sun rises and falls every day. It disappears beyond that horizon to go wherever it wishes... But it always comes back. It always shines for the world. Not because people expect it to... Not because it's the unspoken code of the brightest star in the universe... Simply because it's a part of what it is. If it didn't shine, it wouldn't be the sun. Just like if I didn't save the world, I wouldn't be who I am. Just a guy who loves adventure, right?

_I'm Sonic the Hedgehog!_


End file.
